Ball mills are machines predominantly used for grinding in the cement industry. Although these mills have been in use for more than 100 years, their design is still being improved in order to reduce the grinding costs.

The National Council for Cement and Building Materials (NCB) has been pushing for the use of alternate fuels and raw materials in cement manufacture. Ashwani Pahuja, Director General, NCB, speaks on the role that the entity plays.

Many civil engineers are attracted to fly ash today, mostly due to commercial considerations. However, if it is looked upon as a performance improver, fly ash can solve many problems. Fly ash is a by-product obtained while generating electrical power using coal as a fuel.

Often, fly ash is looked upon as a measure to bring down the cost of concrete, But fly ash can also enhance properties and reduce cement consumption. A proper insight into the possible mechanisms of concrete deterioration has led to altering of the properties of OPC concrete

Soundaram Ramanthan, Researcher, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), speaks on the new environ-¡mental norms for curbing pollution from power plants, with specific focus on the treatment of fly ash.